My Life in Rugby: Peter Buxton – former Moseley, Newport, Gloucester & Bristol flanker

After I left school I went to Australia for eight months and played for a club called Brothers, in Brisbane – Elton Flatley was the No.10.
He was also involved with Australia and Queensland and it was good to watch how he did things. He was very mature for a young player.
I always intended to take a year out after school. I wanted to experience living in a different country. It helped me a lot to have a better understanding of the game.
I learned a lot from playing with some high-class players out there. I messed about with a bit of Aussie Rules and Rugby League as well – that was quite good fun. It also gave me a better appreciation of different skill sets.
When I got back to England I went to Moseley but broke my leg in my first training session.
Later that season I got a few starts and the next year I started pre-season and managed to get a first-team slot.
I played England U21s in Argentina in the World Cup and got picked up by Newport when I came back.
They were in the Heineken Cup and I had an ambition to play at the top level. I really enjoyed it at Newport, especially the   second year when Ian McIntosh was coach.
But being from Cheltenham, I always wanted to play at Gloucester and I got the chance when Nigel Melville signed as a coach. He was assembling a pretty special squad.
Coming top of the league was something I am really proud of.  We also won the LV= Cup and the European Shield.
The games we played against Munster at home were pretty special. The noise of the crowd and the  excitement at Kingsholm are the bits I miss most about not playing.
There have been a lot of good people at Gloucester and it has been a real joy to be there for the last ten years.
I went to Bristol for a year and enjoyed my time. It is a well set-up club and the training was enjoyable.
But the chance to do some coaching with Gloucester was an opportunity I just didn’t want to turn down.
Professional training is a privilege but it is also very tough – it was taking its toll on my body and it was time to say, ‘I have done enough’.
There are a lot of things that stand out. I was lucky enough to play for England in a Barbarians fixture.
That was a really special occasion, just rocking up on the bus with the England supporters and then walking into the stadium to play. It was a pretty amazing day.
You look at certain times and you think you would like to have had the opportunity to play more.
I got injured in the Premiership finals at Twickenham before I was due to be going on tour to South Africa with England – but there have been a lot of high-quality back rows during the time that I played.
I can honestly say that it is not for a lack of trying. I look back on my career with a lot of fondness and not a lot of regrets.